[UNCLASSIFIED] Official Information request reference: 2021-005 23 March 2021 Email: Dear Thank you for your Official Information Act request, received on 17 March 2021 for the following: “all correspondence between Jan 11 and today between the Climate Change Commission and members of the media who were given embargoed materials on the draft report prior to February 1 at 1pm; any correspondence between any Commission staff, members of the Prime Minister’s office, School Strike for Climate, and reporters who asked to receive embargoed materials but were denied over the same period; any advice, documents or correspondence detailing why certain reporters and activists were given special treatment and why some should not receive earlier embargoed material”. Thank you for your patience with our need to extend the deadline for responding to your request out to 23 March 2021. We have interpreted your request to include the following material: • Discussions (emails) with journalists on the release of the Commission’s draft report (Attachment 1). • Correspondence with the Prime Minister’s Office on the draft report and its release on 31 January 2021 (Attachment 2). • Correspondence with journalists who were not given embargoed copies (Attachment 3). • Communications plans (including Board papers) relating to the release of the Commission’s draft (Attachment 4). • Internal emails on release planning (Attachment 5). Please note that Attachment 1 includes papers approved by the Board. The minutes of Board meetings (which will relate to some of these papers) are publicly available and can be accessed on our website: https://www.climatecommission.govt.nz/who-we-are/corporate-publications/commission-board-minutes/. The minutes of the January Board meeting have yet to be publicly released but the attached papers were approved by the Board. In relation to your request on communication with School Strike for Climate on the release of the embargoed materials, I can inform you that there is no material. As you may be aware, the Commission was working with School Strike for Climate on a webinar but none of this information relates to the release of the embargoed material for 31 January 2021. Some information contained in the attachments has been withheld under the following section of the Act: • section 9(2)(a) – to protect the privacy of natural persons, including that of deceased natural persons. You have the right to seek an investigation and review by the Ombudsman of this decision. Information about how to make a complaint is available at www.ombudsman.parliament.nz or freephone 0800 802 602. [UNCLASSIFIED] [UNCLASSIFIED] We have received several different requests for information on the media strategy and release planning for the launch of the Commission’s draft advice on 31 January 2021. You may also be interested in information from the other requests which is, or will shortly be, available on the Commission website at: https://www.climatecommission.govt.nz/who-we-are/corporate-publications/official-information-act-requests/ Considerable thought was put into how and when the draft advice would be provided to media. This recognised the public interest in the advice, and the importance of the media’s role in providing accurate and balanced information. It also recognised the significance of the advice and the risk of material being shared before the release date. In preparing to release the draft advice report to media, we looked at a number of factors: • The breadth of the advice report. We wanted to give reporters enough time to understand the detail before the report was released to the public. • The complexity of the report. We wanted to ensure accurate coverage that gave the public the detail they needed to understand the advice and consultation details. • The market implications of the emissions budgets. We wanted to follow best practice to ensure market sensitive information was not shared. • The risk of the report being leaked prior to its public release. Because of interest in the advice we worked to reduce this risk. To help stakeholders, the public and media understand the role of the Commission, the issues we were considering, and the approach we took in developing our advice (including our modelling, analytical approach and work with te ao Māori), we ran a comprehensive pre-consultation engagement programme. Media were invited to attend sessions to build their understanding of the Commission, the process, and the approach. They were also offered individual briefings in the months after the Commission’s establishment in December 2019. We developed an approach to releasing the advice that considered the above. This was to provide a redacted, embargoed copy of the advice to a named group of reporters that represented a cross-section of media in advance, and to then make it available from 26 January to all media by working with the Science Media Centre. Through discussions on this approach, the Chair of the Commission felt that enabling embargoed access to such a large number of people represented an unacceptable level of risk. The plan to release this information was subsequently amended, and the final release process was as follows: • the Chair requested to see and approve a list of named reporters that met the following criteria: used to working under an embargo, have existing relationship with the Commission (reporter or outlet), have an understanding of climate change science. • the redacted embargoed advice was available to the named reporters from Tuesday 26 January 2021. • to receive it, the reporters were required to sign a non-disclosure agreement. • the redacted, embargoed copy was provided as a downloadable copy to some reporters, others received a hardcopy. • the embargo ended on Sunday 31 January 2021 at 2pm. The draft advice report was published on the Commission’s website. A media release was issued earlier that day with a spreadsheet of emissions budget numbers. The decisions on the release or amendment to the planning for release of the embargoed material were made by the Commission’s Chair. This is reflected in the minutes for the Board meeting held on 19 January 2021. We intend to release all board minutes on a quarterly basis on the Commission’s website. This means that the minutes in questions will be available around April 2021. I trust that the information provided fulfils your information request. Please note that the Commission has a policy to proactively release OIA responses to help others have access to more information. Consequently, this letter will be published on our website with your name and contact details redacted to protect your privacy. [UNCLASSIFIED] [UNCLASSIFIED] Kind regards Jo Hendy Chief Executive Climate Change Commission [UNCLASSIFIED] From: To: Cc: Subject: Re: [UNCLASSIFIED] Approval of journalists to receive redacted copies of the draft advice report under embargo Date: Tuesday, 26 January 2021 4:48:19 pm Attachments: image003.jpg Approved Rod Carr On 26/01/2021, at 3:46 PM, Astrid Nunns < wrote: [UNCLASSIFIED] Hi Rod In terms of the journalists who are due to receive redacted copies of the report under embargo, four of them were included in the Board paper that was approved. There are two changes. Can you please approve these names? Already approved via Board paper: Stuff – Eloise Gibson and team (Olivia Wannan and Charlie Mitchell) Radio NZ – Kathryn Ryan and Clare Sziranyl Newsroom – Marc Daadler NZ Herald – Simon Wilson, Jamie Morton Additional names to be approved: Spinoff – Justin Giovanetti (this name was listed as TBC in the Board paper) Business Desk – Gavin Evans/ Patrick Smellie (as above) Thank you Astrid <image003.jpg> Astrid Nunns Released underGeneral the Manager Official – Strategy, Information Planning and EngagementAct M W climatecommission.govt.nz [UNCLASSIFIED] From: To: Subject: access to redacted CCC reports that Gavin Evans Date: Friday, 29 January 2021 9:25:00 am Attachments: image001.png Hi , I’m working with Gavin Evans at BusinessDesk on coverage of the CCC draft carbon budget material, scheduled for Sunday release. Gav tells me that you have been negotiating access for me on the same basis as he has. I have had no capacity to focus on this before now, but am anxious now to have access, please. Can you advise please where things stand? Thanks, Pattrick Smellie Editor BusinessDesk Subscribe for just $24 a month. Released under the Official Information Act From: To: Subject: Fwd: [UNCLASSIFIED] FW: request for information: TVNZ breakfast IV with John Campbell Date: Wednesday, 17 February 2021 11:32:51 am Attachments: image002.png From: Rod Carr Sent: Friday, January 29, 2021 10:01 AM To: Cc: Astrid Nunns; ; Rod Carr Subject: Re: [UNCLASSIFIED] FW: request for information: TVNZ breakfast IV with John Campbell Approve release of redacted executive summary under embargo to a named support person at TVNZ who should sign the declaration. Rod From: Sent: Friday, January 29, 2021 8:58 AM To: Cc: Astrid Nunns; ; Rod Carr Subject: [UNCLASSIFIED] FW: request for information: TVNZ breakfast IV with John Campbell [UNCLASSIFIED] Hi , Are you able to do the below for Rod? I am in meetings all morning. Thanks! Released under [UNCLASSIFIED]the Official Inf ation Act From: Rod Carr Sent: Friday, 29 January 2021 8:12 am To: ; Cc: Astrid Nunns ; Jo Hendy Subject: Re: request for information: TVNZ breakfast IV with John Campbell Can you please send me the redacted executive summary you suggest we give them. Rod From: Sent: Friday, January 29, 2021 7:30:53 AM To: Rod Carr ; Cc: Astrid Nunns ; Jo Hendy ; Rod Carr Subject: Re: request for information: TVNZ breakfast IV with John Campbell Hi Rod, I have just heard back from the Breakfast team that they now want to do the interview on Monday morning in Wellington 7am - 7.30am. Because it is a live interview it would help to give John a small lead in if we could provide the exec summary - and help you because you will be facing informed questions.